.png)
2020 has been a year of lots of ups and downs. There was really nothing to turn to amidst the pandemic, however, let’s thank god and filmmakers, for there were films to help us feel something other than sadness and sorrow.
As we are bidding adieu to the year 2020, we present to you the precious films and series recommendations from our super talented and amazing blog members and faculty mentor.
Ruchika Gurung, faculty mentor, recommends Richard Donner’s 1987 classic Lethal Weapon. Ruchika says,
“Donner’s 1987 classic is a strange choice for me, it was a film that I revisited at the beginning of the pandemic with some mates. We laughed at the hilarity that was this film and the overt problems it offered. But it was a film that we watched online together. It reminded me that no matter how isolated we feel or how far away we might be from each other, we could get together over a cup of coffee and questionable snacks, and have a good laugh over Riggs and Murtaugh.”
Image Courtesy: WB
Sonakshi Srivastava, editor-in-chief, watched a lot of films during the pandemic, but the films she revisited multiple times were Disney movies. She says,
“It might sound cliched or even childish, but revisiting your childhood memories during uncertain times really makes you feel better. Finding Nemo and Cars trilogy are my favorite, and I’d always watch them when I was feeling low.”
Images Courtesy: Disney/Pixar
Joshy John says,
“I watched a lot of films, particularly Malayalam, during the lock-down. Varane Avashyamund and C U Soon were a breath of fresh air amongst the mediocre content that a lot of OTT platforms were pushing. I also revisited a lot of Malayalam comedies like Oru Vadakkan Selfie, Meesa Madhavan, and Chronic Bachelor, these films helped me lighten my mood and made me laugh till my stomach hurt.”
Image Courtesy: Amazon Prime
Rohan Mehta, head of music section, recommends The Holy Mountain directed by Alexandro Jodorowsky, and call it “his version” of a good time.
Iksha Sinha, Social Media Manager of the blog, recommends Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and calls it less of a movie and more of a reminder of her friends. Another recommendation from Iksha is Mirzapur, she says,
“the series gives me weird confidence, and makes me feel that I can take over the world.”
Images Courtesy: Excel Entertainment
Shubham Virgandham recommends Aravinda Sametha (Telugu, Trivikram Srinivas), Ludo (Hindi, Anurag Basu), and Tenet (English, Christopher Nolan). He says,
“Aravinda Sametha redefines heroism, and it is really satisfying to watch, on the other hand Ludo is a layered film, however it is great to see Junior Bachchan and others getting in the groove.” He adds, “and Tenet made me realize and appreciate the genius behind Inception, The Prestige and The Dark Knight Trilogy, Christopher Nolan, who was also the director of the most expensive student film.”
Images Courtesy: WB, Netflix, and Sithara Entertainments respectively
Anish Chodankar recommends The Office and The Blacklist, “two completely different genres yet satisfying my need of socialising”, as he says.
Images Courtesy: Universal and Sony Pictures TV respectively
Khushi Nair recommends The Princess Bride directed by Rob Reiner, and The Jungle Book (1967) directed by Wolfgang Reitherman. She says,
“While it seems like a typical romantic movie, this movie has a little bit of everything that makes it fun for most people. The characters are also very loveable and even if you are somebody who hates romantic stories, you end up rooting for the protagonists, Westley and Buttercup. The Jungle Book is also popular but the number of people who have actually seen it is shockingly small. Unlike its 21st Century remake, The ‘67 version has all the charm we know and love Disney for. While the plot does shake from time to time, the songs are bound to make you feel like a child again and of course, there's Baloo the bear.
Images Courtesy: Butter Cup Films and The Walt Disney Company respectively
Sanyam Varun, head of photography section, recommends Dhobi Ghat directed by Kiran Rao, he says,
”before the pandemic, I fell for Mumbai and its glimmering life, and this film helped me enrich that feeling while I was away from it.”
Image Courtesy: Aamir Khan Productions
Aanandi Basu goes with Peter Weir's 1989 classic Dead Poets Society.
“In a world full of expectations and burdens, the theme of the story represents liberty. Liberty from pressure, liberty from being tied down. There's Robin Williams, one of the best method actors this generation has seen. As John Keating, he becomes the beacon of hope for the students that are chained to their legacies and this year makes me yearn for some release much like the teenagers in the film,” she says.
Image Courtesy: Touchstone Pictures
Dhriti Agrawal recommends The Queen’s Gambit and the popular sitcom The Big Bang Theory. She says,
“The Queen’s Gambit kept me going as it gave me inspiration that one is able to cope up with anything and everything and heal with time, and as far as BBT is concerned, it is one of the classic comedy shows that I have watched during lockdown. It's about brilliant physicists and engineers who know how the universe works but are terrible in social interactions. Quite literally I HAVE never seen that kind of comedy in my life.”
Images Courtesy: Netflix and WB TV respectively
At last, Siddharth Singh, head of film section and the writer of this listicle, would like to recommend his all time favourite The Godfather trilogy directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Raaz directed by Vikram Bhatt, and its sequel Raaz: The Mystery Continues directed by Mohit Suri.
He repeatedly watched The Godfather trilogy because of its sheer quality, and as far as Raaz is concerned, he saw that film only because of its fantastic music album. He also loved Awarapan (2007) for its "bittersweet" story. For your information, Raaz (2002) is a remake of Robert Zemeckis’ What lies Beneath (2000), and Awarapan is a remake of a Korean film Bittersweet life (2005)
Images Courtesy: Vishesh Films and Mario Puzo respectively
Comments